Til Death Do Us Part (Kornilov Bratva Duet #2) - Nicole Fox Page 0,74

lie down and try to rest.

In the van, the men tied my arms and legs, and I prayed they wouldn’t notice I’m pregnant. I’m still early enough that it isn’t obvious, but if they’d lifted my shirt, they might have noticed the bump. It’s popping out a lot sooner than it did when I was pregnant with Theo.

Thankfully, they didn’t look at my bare stomach, and I didn’t have to endure any additional violence.

Fedor didn’t talk to me as we drove across town. I was left to lie in the back of the van, guarded by two of Fedor’s men, and he stayed in the front.

Then, when we arrived at our destination, I was blindfolded and carried inside. I could hear gravel crunching under their feet, but that did little to tell me where we were going.

The inside of the building is cold, and even after hours locked inside, I haven’t grown accustomed to it. I slip my arms from the sleeves of my sweater and wrap them around my middle, trying to warm up with my own body heat.

I don’t know whether Fedor is keeping the room cold to torture me or whether there is simply no electricity. There are no lights in my room or any lights visible through the small, barred window set into the metal door of my room, so I can’t be sure.

Guards walk up and down the hallway every so often, and I don’t know if I’m the only prisoner Fedor has or not. I can’t hear any other voices, and the silence is starting to make me crazy when suddenly, there is a loud metallic scraping noise.

I yelp and jump to my feet, shoving my arms through the sleeves of my sweater as fast as I can, wanting to be ready for anything. Then, the long, thin rectangular cut into the bottom of the door opens and a tray filled with food is pushed through it.

The tray clatters to the floor, and I’m so unaccustomed to the noise that I shove my hands over my ears.

After almost a minute of silence, I realize whoever left the food is gone, so I crawl forward and pick at it.

It is a microwavable freezer meal. The macaroni is salty mush and the green beans are rubbery. Still, I eat everything. The baby needs nutrients, and even if I don’t feel hungry, I can’t skip any meals right now.

When I’m done, I shove the tray against the door and lean back against the wall. My hips hurt from sitting on the concrete floor, but I barely feel the pain. I’m far too focused on the burn of betrayal in my chest.

Hannah lied to me. For weeks.

Every laugh we shared, every secret I told her … she was betraying me. She was spying on me and feeding information to a man who wants to kill me and steal my son.

I drop my face into my hands and cry for the first time since Fedor kidnapped me.

Everything happened so fast: Hannah’s admission, Fedor’s appearance, and my saving Hannah from being shot. There hasn’t been any time to process how I’m feeling, and even now, I’m not sure I want to.

My feelings won’t save me right now. Regardless of how I’m feeling, it doesn’t change the facts.

I’m away from my family, locked up by my husband’s crazy brother, and away from my son.

Viktor doesn’t even know what has happened to me. I wonder whether Fedor will try to convince him I ran away.

Surely, Viktor wouldn’t believe that.

At least, I hope he wouldn’t.

I allow myself another minute of crying before I wipe my face on my sleeve and stand up, shaking off the meltdown.

If I want any chance of getting out of here, I have to stay focused. I have to stay strong. I have to think about Theo and my unborn baby and Viktor.

I have to think about my family.

21

Viktor

I wake up to screaming.

Shrieking, rather.

Truly, no one can scream like an upset child. Crying kids seem to reach an entirely new level of sound previously unknown to the human race.

I sit up in bed, searching for the source of the noise.

Then, I see Theo standing next to Molly’s side of the bed, his face red and covered in tears.

“What’s up, bud?” I reach out for him, and he crawls on the bed and falls against my chest.

“Where’s Momma?” I make out his words between sobs and hiccups.

“I’m not sure.” I press a kiss to his forehead and then scoop him